


Domination Critique

by theabridgedkuriboh



Category: Future Card Buddyfight, Future Card Buddyfight 100
Genre: Drama, Friendship, High School AU, M/M, Multi, Romance, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-05-20 06:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5994109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theabridgedkuriboh/pseuds/theabridgedkuriboh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kiri and Miserea move away from home and transfer into Aibo Academy High School. While there, they try and adjust to their new lives and come to realize that things here aren't like back home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ongoing multichapter fic that I will be posting here. It is also my first time writing IkaMis (a pairing that me and my friend fell in love with). I hope that you all enjoy the read and that the drama will begin to pick up before long.

[Kiri’s POV]

When father told me that we were moving away to the city, I thought he was crazy. To give up everything we had, all the friends that we have made, to start over fresh; I thought he was just pulling my leg. But I know the real reason behind it. It was obvious. Even to Miserea; he didn’t need an explanation to know what was going on. We both knew that father was trying to run from his debts, to leave behind all of the unfortunate people he’s screwed over for money. He wants to run away and start anew, to forget that he owes people thousands of yen. 

Even so, there’s nothing myself or Miserea can do about it. We’re both legally obligated to stay with him until we’re old enough to move out. Miserea has one year until he can legally move out and be on his own, but even if he could I doubt he would leave right away. He wouldn’t leave me here on my own, right? I can’t look after father on my own. Who knows what he would do if I was the only one around?

I finish up putting the rest of my belongings in a small carry on bag. Father insisted that we only bring a minimal amount of things. He wanted to leave quickly so we sold the rest of what we didn't bring. In other words, we needed quick getaway money. I know Father’s thought processes by now. I understand how his mind works, but I don’t agree with it. But he is my father, I have to go along with it. I zip the bag and put it over my shoulder and take one last look at my old room. The bed was gone, the lamps were gone, all of my old posters were gone, everything was gone. Nothing but white walls and empty space. 

I take my leave of the room and find Miserea leaning against the wall outside of his room, his suitcase packed and ready to go. He doesn’t look happy, but he hardly ever looks happy anyway.

“That’s a lot of clothes for a minimum amount.” I say, walking over to him. 

He shrugs his shoulders. “Your minimum and my minimum are fairly different.” 

“I can see that.” I reply. I nudge him in the arm and direct him towards the living room. “We should get going. Father should be ready to leave.” 

“You mean make a cowardly escape.” Miserea replies. 

“Don’t let father hear you say that.” I reply hesitantly. My hand wraps instinctively around my upper left arm. I lower my head and watch my feet move across the wooden floor. Miserea places a hand on my shoulder as we walk. 

We enter the living room to find father counting the money he got from the local pawn shop. It looks like a lot of money from where I’m standing. I hope he doesn’t blow it all too quickly. 

“So, what’s the plan?” Miserea asks. “Are we actually going to be living in a home or are we going to travel the country in your van?” 

“The van is my place to get away from you two, why would I have you live in it?” Father replies. “I got us a place in the city. A coffee shop. I’m the new owner.” 

“How the hell did you buy the ownership to a coffee shop? You couldn’t even afford rent half of the time.” Miserea asks. 

“Why do you think I was taking so many loans from people?” Father asks with a grin. 

“Oh, so it wasn’t all for sake?” Miserea complains, his arms crossed over his chest. “What the hell are you planning?” 

“I may drink but I’m not that far into it.” Father corrects him. But he was lying. He gets drunk at least 3 times a week. Four if it’s a bad week. “Between paying bills and rent, along with the little money I had left and the deals I’ve made with everyone I’ve made some decent money out of them. Besides, the coffee shop was a prize. A poor sap put it up for grabs in a poker game. He was drunk to Hell, but I still won.” 

“You-you took that man’s business away from him?” I ask. 

“No, I didn’t. I won it fair and square. If he was out of money he could have left. But he chose to bet everything. I simply played and won. There’s a difference.” 

“But even so, you-” 

“We don’t have to argue about this,” Father insists. He stands up and grabs his suitcase. “We need to get going. A ride to the city takes a few hours. We need to get there before sunset.” 

While Father leaves the house to start the van, Miserea pulls me off to the side to talk. He doesn’t look any happier, in fact he looks angry. 

“Are you agreeing with anything he’s saying?” Miserea asks. 

“Of course not. We’re practically barging in on someone’s life and taking over.” I reply. 

Miserea takes a deep breath and rubs his temples. “Father’s games are sick. Even if he doesn’t realize it. He’s planned this from the beginning. Even if this coffee shop business was a simple coincidence, it’s still sickening.” 

“Well what can we do? We have no choice but to follow in his lead. We can’t stay here. He already sold the house, not to mention everything we owned.” I reply. 

“Yeah. You think I don’t know that. I had to sell my records. That old bastard is gonna pay for making me give up my collection for his ass.” Miserea growls angrily. 

Miserea walks away, mumbling under his breath about his records. I feel bad that Miserea had to give those up for Father. But I also had to give up things of my own. I had to give up my signed poster of The Mighty Sunfighter, signed by Yota Mikado himself. It was such a successful comic when he was alive. But he died a few years ago, making his comics a beautiful tragedy. I love his work and what he stood for. But I wasn’t able to keep the poster. So, father took it to be sold. 

I tighten my grip on the bag strap and follow after him into the van. It was once used to drive father’s friends around to party and drink when they were younger, he used to tell us stories of his adventures. It was a bit cramped since it was filled with whatever we were taking, a bean bag and a case of beer, but other than that there was plenty of room. Miserea was leaning against the sides, an earbud in one ear as he read a book. It was one that he has been reading for a while for school. But since we’re transferring, I wonder why he’s still even reading it. 

I took the bean bag chair since Miserea hadn’t asked to use it. It reeks of booze but I find relaxation in it anyway. I was exhausted and decided that if we were going to be driving for a few hours that I may as well get some sleep. 

[Miserea’s POV]: 

Watching Kiri sleep so peacefully was soothing my anger a bit. I haven’t felt like myself in days. This whole escape plan of father’s has me on edge. I had to abandon everything; my job, my friends, everything. All so father could run away from his debts and start over at some coffee shop in the city. I don’t like it at all, but what he says goes in this house. It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure we’ll make new friends and I can always get a new job. But what about everything we left behind? The dreams, the memories? 

I eye the case of beer a few feet away from me, clanking together from the bumpy roads that father was driving through. I think back on those nights he would come stumbling home, reeking of sake and whiskey, babbling to himself. He says he’s not a heavy drinker but he is. I know his game. He thinks we don’t know because he’ll come home late and not have a hangover. But we know, we aren’t dumb. 

I take off my jacket and place it over Kiri. I’m sure my jacket smells better than the boozed up chair. He grabs the jacket, pulling it closer to his body and drifts into a deeper sleep. 

Taking a seat against the side of van again I close my eyes and try to picture it. A life without father’s bad decisions getting us into trouble, a world where he isn’t coming home drunk at night; a world where me and my brother can be happy. 

I let the music keep playing, a song I haven’t heard in ages plays softly in my ear. I turn it up a small notch and close my eyes, listen to the beat of the music and the sound of the tires rolling over asphalt. 

[Kiri’s POV]: 

When we arrived in the city the sun had already set. There weren’t a lot of people around at this hour. Father was speaking with the guy who lost the bet, his face showed sadness that he was being forced to hand over his life’s dream to a man he didn’t like. I feel bad for him, so much that I want to try and convince father to let the man keep his business. But I know he’ll never listen to me. Miserea was waiting in the van, not wanting to be involved in Father’s exchanges. It felt like a drug deal, but with a lease. Father got a hold of the keys and walked inside the coffee shop to look around. While he did, I quickly ran up to the man before he could leave. 

“I’m sorry that this had to happen. I hope you find closure.” I say, my voice soft. I feel weak and cowardly at the sight of this man. 

But he just seemed to look at me with regret and sorrow. “Nothing you could have done, son. Just do me well and make sure she stays running. She’s my life’s work.” 

I bow to him out of respect. “I will do my best. I’ll make sure the shop runs better than ever.” 

He smiles sadly and takes his leave. My heart feels like it was just ripped into a million pieces, but there was nothing more I could have said. So, I walk inside the coffee shop and take a look inside. Father was already looking through the inventory and getting a feel for the place. I place my bag down against the wall and walk out the door to get Miserea, but he wasn’t in the van. His suitcase was there but he wasn’t. 

I take out my cell phone and turn it on. I should call him and see where he went. I take his suitcase inside and place it beside mine while father takes his own things up to the upstairs apartment. It was a bit smaller than our old house but it was perfect in retrospect since we don’t need a lot of space now anyway. 

“Tell your brother to start putting the stuff away.” Father says while coming back down to the shop. 

I look at my cell phone, now turned on, and see that I have a new message. I open it and it’s from Miserea. 

Miserea: Went for a walk. Be back in about an hour.

I quickly write him back. 

Kiri: Father was expecting you to help put things away. 

Miserea: I’ve got a lot on my mind right now, Kiri. Get what you can done. I’ll help with the rest when I get back.

I sigh and put my phone in my pocket and head to father’s room to start putting his belongings away. It looks like we already have some furniture. Whether they’re from the family that was here before or something father had sent here beforehand is unknown to me. But I’m hoping it’s the second. 

[Miserea’s POV]: 

The sun has just about gone down and the clouds were rolling in. They were getting darker by the minute, as dark as storm clouds. I hold my jacket closer to my body as the wind begins to pick up. Coming out this late may have been a bad idea on my end. But when your mind is filled with anger you need to walk it off. 

As I walk I try and make a note of places I pass so I can find my way back. I’ve never been to the city before so this is all so new to me. The bright lights, everything, everything was new to me. I feel out of place here. 

I see a shrine coming up in the distance. If I make a right it’s about .03 kilometers from here. It’s not too far a walk, but with the weather changing this quickly I wouldn’t make it before it rained. But I need to know how this all plays out. The local shrine should be able to give me a glimpse of good news. 

So I make my way there. And as I do, I hear thunder in the distance. It’s faint but not too loud or close to worry about just yet. It only takes about 10 minutes to get to the shrine, by then everything is dark and it’s beginning to drizzle. I’m the only one around now due to time and weather. I walk over to the shrine and pray. I’m not one to pray much but with the circumstances that were upon us now, I have to look out for Kiri. I stay in that position for a few moments, a quick prayer, that was all we needed. I put up my hood and stand up. I give the five yen offering before I turn around and look up at the dark grey skies. Rain was spluttering on the ground, the sound was soothing. I take a fortune from the box and put it in my pocket. 

I quickly make my way back to the coffee shop. Kiri must be worried about where I’ve gone now with the poor weather passing through. I make my way down the stone stairs to the main streets. As I do, I check my phone for the time. 7:23pm it read. I put my phone away and pick up the pace until I see the end of the staircase coming into view. As I make it to the bottom and turn right to head back, I see someone in the distance. They were on the phone, looking up at the rain as fell. I couldn’t see them clearly but I could feel an aura of disappointment and sorrow from here. 

“I just don’t understand why I-” He was talking softly but his tone felt like he was shouting. Or, perhaps he wanted to shout. “You know I am completely invested in this but-” He grins his teeth and clenches his fingers. “I’ll be there in 20 minutes. Just stop shouting.” He hangs up the phone and runs his fingers through his hair. The rain has completely soaked him, his hair was drooping, sticking to his face. He let’s his phone fall to the ground, falling into the rain soaked ground. He goes to stomp on it out of anger, but refrains from doing so. “Shit.” He swears loudly. He picks up the phone and puts it into his pocket and walks over to one of the nearby trees, taking his anger out on it by punching it. I could hear the leaves shaking from here at the force of his strength. 

“The flash of lightning that begins it, and the thunderclap that ends it all.” He mutters to himself. He repeats this to himself again and again. 

But what does it mean? Was he just talking madness? There was no way for me to tell. I watch as he makes his leave, quickly leaving the area to who knows where. Whoever he was, he has some issues that he needs to work on. Starting with whoever he was talking to on the phone. 

But his business is none of mine. I have my own problems to work on.


	2. Chapter 2

Miserea’s POV: 

It was late when I arrived home, or whatever this place is supposed to be, and I notice that the lights in the shop are still on, but the upstairs apartment lights are pitch black. From the front windows I could see Kiri wiping down the tables and working on the menu boards with a piece of paper in his hands. His writing was still a bit sloppy, but legible. He does fairly well in his Japanese class. 

“It’s late,” I say as I walk inside, rain water rolling down my cheeks from the dampness of my hair. He looks back at me, a tired look in his eyes. “You should get some sleep.” 

“Easy for you to say. I had to put all of the stuff away while you were out in the rain. I had to organize, make calls, and now I need to make sure the shop is in check for business tomorrow.” He argues. He turns back to the board and writes our apparent cupcake choices in a well organized list. 

“Who the hell is making all of this stuff? How are we opening this shop tomorrow with no experience or even workers?” I ask irritably. 

“That’s just it.” Kiri starts. “We’re the workers. We’re the cooks. We’re the servers. We’re the waiters. We are the shop. Father runs the place, but we’re the face around here.” 

He was upset. I could tell that he was, and yet I could do nothing to help him. Father’s rules were strict and if we were to do this then we had no choice. 

“And school?” I ask, even though the answer is obvious. 

“We still go, but we have to come right back and start working, homework or not. Which means Father is trying to isolate us. No friends. No connections. No extra curriculars. Just work!” Kiri explains, disappointment lingering in his tone. 

“That’s not fair! He’s treating us like slaves!” I exclaim. 

“He’s treating ME like a slave. You have the freedom to leave whenever you want since you’re almost old enough to do it anyway. He knows he can’t control you so he’s not even going to try. He just expects you to listen to him. He’s not holding anything on you! I’m the one who has to work this place.” Kiri says, his voice shaking. The chalk in his hand snaps in half and part of it falls onto the floor. He stands there for a moment before lowering his arm to his side. He turns to face me, a deep frown and evident tears forming in his eyes. “Just go upstairs and get a shower. I’m almost done. I’ll be up in a bit.” 

I want to argue with him, but it seems like he’s already had enough. He’s being pushed too hard. The thought makes me sick to my stomach, but the Hyoryu family has always been about money and power, at least to my father. 

No doubt this is only the start of the many changes that will unfold. 

Kiri’s POV: 

I hear the upstairs apartment door close and silence filled the room once again. I wipe my eyes with my sleeve before going back to writing the rest of the menu board. According to father, we will be serving 5 different kinds of tea; white tea, black tea, lotus tea, lavender tea, and jasmine, as well as 3 different kinds of cupcakes, cookies, and fruit cups. We also we will be serving coffee, but only regular or decaf. I’m not really sure what Father has planned for this place, but so far he seems to be keeping it simple but elegant. I want to please him, but I’m also overwhelmed. The thought of working a coffee shop in the middle of the city seems terrifying. There were too many factors to consider. 

Even so, running a shop, as well as going to school was going to be rough. There was not enough time in the day to do all of it. Getting up early to make pastries for father to serve, getting kettles prepared; as well as getting myself ready for school would take far too much time. Miserea will be helping me, but it will still take at least two hours. 

I sigh and place the chalk down on the ledge and go to wash up. My eyes feel heavy and I keep yawning. My body begs for rest, but I can’t give it that luxury just yet. 

I lock the doors and shut the blinds. Another day, another dollar, as father says. But where was the happiness and life to that day? I don’t know. I go upstairs to the apartment and shut the lights off in the shop before heading inside. 

Almost immediately, I hear the shower running in the next room. Miserea must have taken my advice and is taking a shower. I’m worried that he’ll get sick, but we’ll have to see in the morning. He rarely ever gets sick, so I have high hopes that he won’t. But as I walk past his room and see his jacket, still soaked and dripping onto the floor, I notice something small near his door. Curiosity peaks in me, and I lean down to pick it up. 

It was a fortune. And it was still unopened. I look at it from all sides, but it was still fresh. I knew that I could look if I really wanted to, that Miserea would never know. 

“What do you have there?” 

The fortune charm was ripped from my grasp and a now freshly soaking wet Miserea, towel around his waist and hair, was standing before me. 

“You looking through my stuff, Kiri? You’re not usually the nosey type.” 

“I found it on the floor.” I reply with a pout. Miserea looks at it with his own curiosity this time. “Why don’t you just open it?” 

“I don’t know.” He says. “I want to know, but I feel like it may just be more shitty luck.” 

“Just open it then.” 

Miserea takes the small tassel and removes the fortune from its confines. He holds it up to the light and we both see what it is that he got. 

Han-kichi, a half blessing. Ren’ai: romantic relationships. 

Miserea looks on at the small tassel in surprise. He hadn’t expected that at all, I could tell. He wasn’t usually the kind of person to expect romance to be a part of his life. Even so, the fortune considers it a half-blessing. Why was that? 

“What the hell?” 

“It means you’re not going to be single anymore. I’m jealous.” I laugh. 

“Yeah well, the fortune says its not going to be a very good relationship, so I’ll pass.” He says, throwing the fortune behind him before jumping into his bed. 

“Don’t forget to get dressed. You’re still in your towel.” I say, directing my eyes elsewhere. Miserea was always careless. 

“I know.” Miserea replies. He sits up and looks at me, putting his hands on his ankles. “Are you going to be okay?” 

I blink and look back at him completely in surprise. “Why do you ask?” 

“You look really depressed. I know you’re upset about the move and about father but,” He takes a moment. I can feel my heart hammering in my chest. “You need to learn to stand your ground Kiri; be more Assertive. You’re letting him treat you like dirt.” 

“I don’t have a choice. He’s my caretaker until I come of age. So, I do as he says. This way he doesn’t drink as much. If he’s happy, then I’m happy.” I say with a half smile. 

“Yeah, and he doesn’t beat you as much.” He mutters. 

I move my gaze to the floor and rub my arm. It stings at the thought. “I know.” I mutter back. 

We don’t say anything for a while. We just enjoy each other’s presence. Father was asleep in the hall over, a sigh of relief. 

“I’ll see you in the morning. We have to get up at five to get ready to open.” 

“Five in the morning!” 

“Unfortunately.”

Miserea groans and falls back onto the bed. “Sleep may be for the weak, but I need it. Weakness claim me!” He says, throwing his arms out to his sides. 

I snicker and open his door. “Just get some sleep. I’ll be back in a bit to wake you up.” 

I walk out and shut the door, a soft “how about you don’t” quickly following. I roll my eyes and walk to my own room to catch even a bit of sleep before morning. 

But I still can’t help but wonder if Miserea’s fortune was correct. If so, would that mean that good things were coming for me as well?


End file.
